“This is what I’m here to do – make the playoffs, put another Trackhouse car in the playoffs.” Shane Van Gisbergen’s words after a redeeming victory in Mexico City made so much sense. The Kiwi speedster went through tremendous odds, from tackling logistical issues in travel to dodging a severe stomach bug. At the end of it all, SVG was fit enough to stay true to his signature racing talent – conquering road courses. In that way, he was able to add to teammate Ross Chastain’s victory in Charlotte, locking two Trackhouse Racing cars into the playoffs.

That is how Shane Van Gisbergen put a band-aid on an otherwise faltering season. Across 15 races, the No. 88 Trackhouse Racing driver could clinch only one top-ten finish, a 6th-place result at another road course, the Circuit of the Americas. Yet his Trackhouse owner had faith in the road course racing legend, which is why SVG was offered the full-time NASCAR ride in the first place.

Shane Van Gisbergen’s true purpose is visible

Remember the rainy afternoon on 3rd July 2023? Shane Van Gisbergen created history in Trackhouse Racing’s Project 91 initiative. Previously, Formula 1 World Champion Kimi Räikkönen drove the No. 91 Chevy in two races, but SVG catapulted the 91 car immediately to Victory Lane. The Supercars legend shocked NASCAR Cup Series regulars with his debut win at the inaugural Chicago Street Race! That showed Trackhouse chief Justin Marks the glowing potential that SVG has. The New Zealander went on to clinch three road course wins in the 2024 Xfinity Series season. Accordingly, Marks roped SVG into the 2025 Cup Series season, considering the tremendous talent he packs for road course events.

Scoring the playoffs is the ultimate goal of any Cup Series team. From roping in additional playoff bonuses to sponsorship deals, the payout is huge. Everyone is aware of SVG’s struggles on ovals, but all he needed to do was win a road course to get that bonus, and Shane Van Gisbergen has done exactly that. Quite like his novel Chicago Victory, SVG picked up the inaugural Viva Mexico 250 race trophy at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez despite the glaring odds.

Soon after securing the pole at Mexico City, SVG fell seriously ill, admitting to having “so much pressure on his stomach.” Despite that, he persevered in his pursuit, as his crew chief, Stephen Doran, said: “The car was obviously OK, but he’s unbelievable. It’s amazing to watch him race at tracks like this.” He added, “I just kept reminding him to keep drinking some fluids. He had some little squeeze packs of energy pouches in the car with him. I could tell by his tone that he wasn’t struggling too bad once he got racing.” SVG overcame these odds and admittedly, “leaking from both holes,” to put on a masterpiece.

He led 60 of 100 laps and beat Christopher Bell by 16.567 seconds, breaking a 16-year-long record for margin of victory, reinforcing his purpose as a road course racing ace. He admitted so after the victory: “That’s why I’m here, to win road races.” Yet other racetracks are also high on his radar: “But I’m not here to run last on the ovals, either. I need to keep getting better to justify being a Cup Series driver.” Now, SVG has all the time in the world to focus on that, as he has given Trackhouse Racing exactly what they wanted with a playoff berth.

With the win and you’re in playoff format, Shane van Gisbergen doesn’t need another win until the playoffs start. The upcoming road courses? Sure, a win there would fetch some good money and build his confidence, but if he wants to make a deep playoff run, he needs to learn oval racing. With his playoff spot secured, SVG can devote the remainder of the regular season to fine-tuning his oval racing, and leading up to Mexico City, positive progress was evident.

SVG ran amongst the top-20 for most of the Coca-Cola 600, one of NASCAR’s highest speed ovals, and finished 14th! Then, he backed it up with an 18th-place finish at Michigan. Sandwiched in between was a 25th-place finish at Nashville, where he ran amongst the top 20 for a lot of the day but fell off late in the race. SVG is improving, and this win only gives him more time and confidence to do so.

The sheer determination to perform was visible in Shane Van Gisbergen’s Mexico endeavor. Additionally, his victory also proved why Trackhouse Racing had recruited him in the first place. It is also quite a tall order, as SVG is maintaining a golden legacy.

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Living up to the iconic number

The No. 88 car number holds legendary status in NASCAR history. None other than Dale Earnhardt Jr wheeled it in his prime, stamping his iconic reputation in the Cup Series. The Hendrick Motorsports No. 88 Chevrolet spelled a story of rebellion and redemption. After bowing out of his family racing team, Dale Earnhardt Inc., due to a fallout with his stepmother, Dale Jr. turned over a new leaf. He let go of his older No. 8 logo to adopt the newly coined No. 88 number under Rick Hendrick. He piloted the same number in 10 Cup Series campaigns for HMS and made the number immortal. That is why Shane Van Gisbergen has an added responsibility to perform well for Trackhouse Racing.

Justin Marks had reached out to Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kelley Earnhardt Miller, and Hendrick Motorsports vice chairman Jeff Gordon for permission to use the number moving forward. He reflected on the efforts for SVG’s 2025 Cup Series campaign: “It’s important for us to have the endorsement…(Had) a great, great exchange with Dale Jr. saying, like, ‘Look, it’s not my number. I mean, I added to the legacy of it. It was important to me personally.’ But he was proud to see it in good hands, and that’s just something that’s super, super important to me and to this company.” Hence, SVG carries the same legacy number as Dale Jr. did. His road course racing skills and developing oval racing skills are all contributing to keeping that legacy alive.

With a fresh victory in his hands and a playoff berth in the 2025 Cup Series playoffs, Shane Van Gisbergen can reach for the sky. Let us wait and see what fresh laurels he fetches for Trackhouse Racing.